1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automotive cooling systems and, more specifically, to an automatic emergency cooling and refilling system which detects when the temperature in a vehicle's cooling system rises above a selected level and automatically activates an atomized spray over the face of the radiator to prevent the engine from overheating thereby allowing an operator to continue driving uninterrupted to a desirable location. Previously an overheated condition could strand a vehicle in a hazardous or threatening location and could require road service or having the motorist leave the vehicle in search of water or a telephone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous engine cooling systems for vehicles. While these cooling systems for vehicles may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. It is thus desirable to provide an emergency cooling and refilling system that can be adapted to fit any application involving a heat exchanger, such as an automobile radiator and transmission cooler/air conditioner condenser coil or residential and commercial central air condenser coils. The present invention can be factory installed or retrofit to existing units and is automatically activated when a thermocouple detects a high temperature condition and activates a pump that moves fluid from an independent reservoir to atomizers facing the component to be cooled and sprayed thereupon. The atomized spray takes on a spiraling nature due to the presence of a rotational nozzle within atomizer that is acted upon by the passage of the pressurized fluid traveling through diagonal channels cut in the nozzle's head. The present invention also provides a means for a vehicle operator to replace radiator fluid with fluid from the independent reservoir simply by activating a switch in an accessible panel that monitors and controls operation of the emergency system. A fill sensor located within the radiator will detect when the desired amount of fluid has been introduced to the cooling system and will automatically discontinue operation.